Men Suits

About Me

Sunday, May 19, 2013

MEN’S HOT WEATHER DRESSING

Summer is a tough time in classic menswear.
Most of our most recognizable styles descended from British military
and noble fashions, and the British Isles don’t face the same kinds of
summer that much of the United States does, to say nothing of warmer
parts of the world.
So when traditional worsted wool suits and cotton dress shirts become unbearable, what should a fashionable man wear?Priorities
What matters when it’s hot, and what doesn’t. The things you should think about when you buy hot-weather clothing.
Looks are always important, but the line has to be drawn somewhere.
When the mercury climbs up above 80 degrees (26.6 C) you need functional
clothing. Consider these the most essential characteristics for hot
weather menswear:

This image is from Street Etiquette - Check out their blog for an amazing collection of images!

Light Weight
This should really go without saying. You want cloth that is
physically light. The less ounces/grams of textile piled up on your
skin, the less work you’re doing and the easier it is for air to
circulate.
Wool is the only cloth that you can almost always get a weight for in
specific ounces. You’ll see it for cotton and linen some of the time,
but frequently you’ll need to try on a garment, or at least pick it up,
to see how heavy it’s going to be.
Whenever possible, try hot weather clothes on before buying. Ten
minutes of gently moving around the store or changing room will give you
a very good idea of how easy it is to carry the weight. If you’re
sweating after that, it’s definitely not going to be fun to wear on a
hot day in the sun.Breathability
This is just as important as light weight, if not more so!
You need air circulating over your body to stay cool. Fabric that
doesn’t breathe well will trap both sweat and hot air near your skin,
leading to rapid overheating.
Finer threads, looser weaves, and more porous materials all help add
to a textile’s breathability. Artificial fibers are typically
non-breathable, and will make a garment more likely to keep sweat and
air in.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of a good weave as well as a
good fabric. A lot of cheaper manufacturers will sell anything cotton as
“summer wear,” regardless of whether it’s any good in hot weather or
not. A tight cotton weave holds both air and moisture in — it’ll be pure
torture to wear on an 80-degree day.Sun Protection
Most men spend less time thinking about sun protection than they
should. Even dark-skinned men will feel the heat more in the sun,
regardless of whether their skin can burn or not, and lighter-skinned
men can find themselves in a lot of pain if they’re not careful.
Happily, classic men’s styles lend themselves well to full-body
protection. Long sleeves and full trouser legs can be more cooling than a
T-shirt and shorts in the right conditions. Hats and sunglasses play
their role as well. And light colors will reflect far more sunlight than
darker shades, keeping your clothes themselves from growing warmer in
the sun.
Every warm-weather outfit should include a moment or two of thought
for whether it can cover more skin comfortably or not. The less direct
sun you’re soaking up the happier you’ll be, so long as it can be done
with light and breathable fabrics.Deliberate Style
The trouble with most summer outfits is that they’re products of
necessity, not style. You throw on shorts and a T-shirt so that you
don’t overhead, not because they look good.
Looking stylish in the summer is as much about small, deliberate
gestures as it is anything else. Khakis and a white shirt are
comfortable, but you look like a low-level IT staffer.
When you make a summer outfit you need to be thinking about the
colors, patterns, textures, and accessories all together. The difference
between stylish and just functional could be as small as a different
belt or the right pocket square.
But if you don’t take the time to make that small difference you just
look like one more overheated office guy. So believe us when we say
that style is as important an element of hot weather clothing as
breathable cloth!